First Day of High School Shooting

Thought first day of high school was tough? Students of a Perry Hall High School experienced the dangers of starting high school as a teenager was shot on his first day.
    According to ABC News, police have arrested the shooter and tended to the visibly wounded. For story updates follow me at @BeeRay2.

Assange Attempts to Avoid Arrest

     Tensions continue to rise in the English community as Julian Assange, founder of Wiki Leaks, awaits the decision regarding his petition for asylum in Ecuador.
     Assange , who has been hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, has allegedly committed counts of rape and sexual assault in Sweden. Since the initial arrest, British government agreed to extradite Assange to Sweden for trial. Attempting to evade arrest, Assange petitioned for asylum in Ecuador. Outraged, British officials threatened harm to the Ecudorian embassy to retrieve Assange.
      In 2010, two Swedish women accused Assange of rape and sexual assault. Dubbed Miss A, one of the women reported that Assange forced himself upon her after she allowed him to stay in her flat. Both admit that a sexual act took place, but differ on consent. For more, check out the Liquid Newsroom's Coverage

Romney Announces VP Pick

Sources reveal that Paul Ryan, Wisconsin representative, will be presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate on the 2012 ballot. Romney will officially announce his decision to the country at 9:00 AM EST. Trailing behind President Obama in the polls, Romney plans to take on four states today in his presidential campaign.

A Little Dose of Truth Keeps The Doctor Away

       That little white lie you told your spouse; those "sick days" you took to really go to Disney World; telling your girlfriend those pants really do look good on her; These factors may actually contribute to increasing sickness.
      A recent CNN study revealed that lying  actually depreciates a person's health. Expertrs claim that people who lie less live healthier lives and are less susceptible to depression. For more on health and lies check out CNN's coverage.

Shots Fired at Sikh Temple

Early Sunday morning, a gunman opened fire at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The gunman remains inside the building with several hostages. One death was confirmed earlier today, at least two remain wounded. Police have sealed of the site and are currently negotiating the safe return of the hostages. For more updates check out CNN's coverage.

Drug Ring Goes Global

To citizens, the words “drug cartel” usually connote the narcotic ring in Latin America. Despite the stigma, the drug business has relocated to an unexpected continent, Africa. To counteract the growing globalization of the drug cartel, the United States has started training officials in Ghana to combat the cartel’s increased presence in Africa to smuggle cocaine to Europe.

The U.S increased its involvement after realizing that shutdown of major countries, like Mexico, forced the cartel to relocate to smaller, inconspicuous countries.

“We see Africa as the new frontier in terms of counterterrorism and counternarcotics issues. It’s a place that we need to get ahead of — we’re already behind the curve in some ways, and we need to catch up,” said Jeffrey P. Breeden, the chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration’ s (DEA) Europe, Asia and Africa section to the New York Times.

            The U.S. plans to expand its efforts to Kenya and Nigeria. For more on the DEA’s efforts, check out the NYT’s coverage.

Mass Shooting Casts Dark Shadow Over Country

Tragedy struck the country as James Holmes,24, opened fire at a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and wounding 58 others.

“And if there’s anything to take away from this tragedy it’s the reminder that life is very fragile.  Our time here is limited and it is precious.  And what matters at the end of the day is not the small things, it’s not the trivial things, which so often consume us and our daily lives.  Ultimately, it’s how we choose to treat one another and how we love one another,” President Obama said.

Holmes fired a AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 40-caliber handgun into a crowded theater after blinding moviegoers with teargas.  Holmes entered the theater through an emergency door he seemed to prop open earlier that night.

According to a federal official, Holmes, now in police custody reported to the police that he was “The joker”. Mimicking the fictional villain, Holmes died his hair red.  Planning to turn himself in, Holmes left a second surprise for law enforcement, chemical traps in his apartment.

“He was just literally just massacring anybody that got up that was trying to run away," John Seeger, a survivor of the attack said to CNN.

Across the country, the shooting conjured up memories of other tragedies such as Columbine and Virginia Tech. In response to the shooting, Warner Brother Studios cancelled the movie’s premiere in Paris.

With the total count of 71 people shot, the Aurora shooting is deemed to as the largest mass shooting in the country. For more on the tragedy, check out CNN’s coverage.

Politics Running The Newsroom?

Shouted ideas, shuffled papers, the occasional hah! moment, and now political approval? The defenders of the press are being challenged by politicians to obtain the final verdict on stories that contain quotes or attributions from officials.

With the increasing speed of information, introduced by the Internet through social media such as Facebook and Twitter, officials would like more control over the spread of information.

Both the Obama  and Romney campaign mandate quote approval for any interview before sent to production. Following in the two presidential candidates footsteps, other government officials are helping to make quote approval the norm. Most news organizations like New York Times and Vanity Fair agree to conditional interviews.

Approval requests prove to challenge newsrooms as they can hinder or completely reshape a story. Despite these conditions, journalists will not back down to the limitations.

“We don’t like the practice. We encourage our reporters to push back. Unfortunately this practice is becoming increasingly common, and maybe we have to push back harder,” Dean Baquet, managing editor for news at The New York Times said to the New York Times.

For more on these challenges in the newsroom check out the NYT coverage.

Facebook Leads to Father's Arrest

We’ve all seen them; that borderline explicit profile picture that would leave an employer baffled, the obscene comment regarding last year’s epic rager that could stop poor grandma’s heart; Social media users are familiar with the power of the Internet. The ability to reach million in a short time has warranted a caution label to user’s choices. In relation to the dangerous misconception among the younger generation about privacy and the Internet, 25-year-old Yashar Khameneh’s Facebook posts caused his father’s in Tehran.

While in college Khameneh joined a Facebook page that ridiculed a top Shiite Muslim imam, Ali al-Naqi al-Had, 1 of 12 imams regarded as the Prophet Mohammed’s successor. These 12 elite, locally referred to as “Infallibles,” are protected by Iranian law from ridicule.

Contributing to the page in hopes for change, Khameneh, did not consider the reach of the page in Iran. After the page’s popularity spiked in May due to an Iranian rapper’s paralleling ridicule of the imam, government officials tracked down Khameneh’s father. They requested Khameneh’s passwords to any social media used in the mocking.

Attempting to evade the punishment, Khameneh deactivated his Facebook account, which landed his father in Evin prison in Tehran, a confinement notorious for torturing inmates. Officials warned Khamneh that as long as the mocking facebook page existed, his father would remain in jail. Because he does not own the page, Khameneh must find alterenative to obtain his father’s release. For more on Khameneh and his father, check out CNN’s coverage.

Assume The Position! Or Not?

“Assume the position” may cease to occur in conversation between police and suspects as federal and state courts question stop and frisk practices.

A guilty party of overusing frisking, New York City Police Department (NYPD) may have to resort to other tactics as opposition of the frisking policy enlarges. Experts say that NYPD will inevitably have to change their policy as citizens begin to question the true motives behind stop and frisk. Several people in New York City wonder if racial profiling plays any part in the increasing number of stops. Federal intervention was required after a poll suggested that race could influence the growing number of frisks.

 “More than 80 percent of those stopped in New York are black or Latino, and last year there were 686,000 stops, with this year’s numbers heading higher,” Randolph M. McLaughlin, a law professor at Pace University. A majority of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Manhattan favored a cessation of the policy claiming it bordered violating individuals’ constitutional rights. For more on the future of stop and frisk practices check out the NYT’s coverage.

A Modern Day Boy Genius

A 4.0 grade point average (gpa), 150+ community service hours, and a varsity athletic record; those characteristics used to constitute an exceptional college bound student. Today a young age defines exceptional in the collegiate world.  Nine-year-old Tanishq Abraham is currently working on his degree at American River College in Sacramento California.

Mensa, the high IQ society, inducted Abhrams when he was 4. Mensa only offers membership to people who obtained a score within the top two percent of the general population on an approved intelligence test. For more on this boy genius check out ABC's coverage.

California Strikes Back Against Immigration Law

As a response to a controversial issue that is sweeping the country, California passed a bill known as the TRUST act, commonly referred to as the Anti-Arizona, that will prevent racial profiling by police and allow local governments to ignore federal requests to detain orderly immigrants for deportation.

"I think this policy was flawed in that it pits sheriffs throughout the state between undocumented immigrants and federal authorities,” Michael J. Rubio, California State Senator, said to CNN.

A trailblazing legislation, the bill was proposed as a response to Arizona’s Immigration act SB 1070 that allows police to verify with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) an immigrants status if police believe the suspect to reside in the country illegally. The bill has garnered acknowledgment on both sides of the issue.

“The Trust Act repairs the relationship between the local police and the immigrant residents they serve and protect,” Angela Chan, senior staff attorney of the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus, said to CNN.

Serving as an opposition to the Supreme Courts’ decision to uphold SB 1070, Anti- Arizona will allow police to disregard requests from ICE to detain an illegal immigrant, except in cases where the suspect poses a serious threat.

The Senate approved the TRUST act 21-13. Now that the law has passed the Senate it will be sent to the Assembly for approval. For more information on Anti-Arizona or Anti-Immigration, check out CNN’s coverage.

No Child Left Behind Is Being Left Behind?

In only five months, the Obama administration has waived crucial provisions of Bill PL 107-110, commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), in most schools.

Today, the Department of Education (DOE) plans to release Washington and Wisconsin from its NCLB contract. With the two states addition, over half of the country will have ceased to meet NCLB goals that requires all students to achieve proficiency in mathematics and reading by 2014.

 In 2001, the Bush Administration attempted to address the issues of public schooling with NCLB.  After its introduction the bill received praise for holding schools accountable for students education, but also acquired criticism for its obsession on results.

The waiver will cease the labeling of struggling schools as failures and place them on the DOE’s watch list. For more on NCLB, check out the NYT’s coverage.

Improving Race Relations, One Daughter At A Time

Breaking a 236 year old tradition, the Daughters of American Revolution (D.A.R.), a non-profit women’s service organization that is notoriously known for its racial exclusivity, acknowledged its first chapter started by an African-American woman June.

Dr. Olivia Cousins could barely contain her astonishment, as she scoffed at the suggestion of joining the D.A.R. A black woman applying to a notoriously discriminatory group seemed hardly worthwhile. But in late June, she shook hands with President Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly as one of the five black members to join the Queens, New York chapter.

The D.A.R. first opened its doors in 1890, welcoming dozens of citizens who strove for patriotism. Despites its mission improve the country’s general wellbeing D.A.R. acquired such a harsh reputation as a white only organization that Eleanor Roosevelt renounced her membership. The organization has since attempted to overcome it. Because of the DAR’s reputation, the organization struggles to obtain diverse members. Cousin’s membership signifies a start to a diverse D.A.R. For more on the ground breaking induction, check out NYT’s coverage.

America Celebrates Its 236th Anniversary!

Hotdogs and Hamburgers galore! What patriotic citizen could ask for more? Celebrating the 236th anniversary of the the country's birth, today, citizens will don on various shades of red, white, and blue,watch fireworks, enjoy colorful drinks. From the Digital Newsroom Buzz Office, Happy 4th of July.

Unrest Continues To Plague Syria

Casting the country back into the global spotlight, tensions continue to rise in Syria as well as along it’s border despite China and Russia’s backing for peace.

On June 30, global leaders meet in the United Nations (U.N) headquarters in Geneva to create an agreement that would end the civil unrest in Syria and bring peace to the country. Plans for peace halted as a deafening crack interrupted a funeral for a man allegedly killed by the Syrian government. A bomb blast interrupted the funeral killing 85 people and injuring 300 others. Anti-government activists claimed that the tragedy was the result of a government-organized bombing.

According to an opposition group, now 14,342 people have been lost to violence since the conflict began. Global leaders continue to strive to bring peace to the tumultuous country.

 According to Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan, to end violence, the country should implement the six-point plan drafted by the U.N and Arab League of Nations. The proposal would charge Syrian government with the responsibility of acknowledging and catering to the people’s concerns. It also specifies that the government should pull out troops to end the violence.

            For more on Syria’s journey, check out CNN’s coverage.

Congress addresses the burdens of student loans

Students dread them, parents oppose    them, and tax payers and Luigi Zingales fear them; Student Loans. On June 29, Congress signed its approval on a new bill that would extend current interest rates for student loans.

            The legislation packages a federal transportation bill, which extends federal highway, rail and transit programs for 27 months, with bills to student loans. This new $6.7 billion package will allow students to continue their loan repayments at 3.4% interests on Stafford Loans for one year. The Catch 22: A restriction on how long students can obtain Stafford loans.

Zingales published an opinion earlier this month outlining the horrors of student loans. Here, Congress has enacted a new plan that will currently mollify both party leaders, but outrage tax payers.

       “When all is said and done, this bill is what it is,” Representative Nick J. Rahall II, a West Virginia Democrat who was one of the senior negotiators of the bill, said to the New York Times.

For more on student loan changes, check out NYT’s coverage.

What Healthcare Really Means for You

        Sending uproar through the country, the Supreme Court upheld the health care reform that citizens affectionately dub Obamacare. Now that the polarizing issue has been settled, citizens remain confused as to what comes next. Obamacare will influence more than just health insurance. Here’s how the court’s ruling will affect consumers:

1

.Health Insurance ceases to be optional

At the center of the polarizing bill, lies the issue of constitutionality and whether the government should posses the power to mandate its people to purchase things. The health care bill specifies that everyone must obtain health insurance by 2014. For all those who plan to rebel, there will be consequences. If one does not obtain insurance by 2014, he or she will be fined $95 or 1% of income, whichever is higher. It will cost $285 per every rebellious household or 1% of income, and will continue to increase every year.

2

.Bill affects everyone, not just the uninsured

While many employees are covered through their employer’s benefits, that will change. The bill will mandate that workers at companies with fewer 50 employees will have to obtain their own insurance. On the other hand, companies with 50 or more employees must offer insurance by 2014.

3

.Discrimination no more against preexisting conditions

Sleep Apnea, Diabetes, Depression? There’s coverage for that. The law guarantees coverage for patients with preexisting conditions that companies frequently reject.

Supreme Court Rules on Landmark Legislation

Anticipation saturates the country as citizens await the Supreme Courts decision on the healthcare that President Obama proposed in 2010. The ruling of the law will have more implications than just healthcare. The ruling of the healthcare will influence the upcoming presidential election as well as future government regulations.

CNN experts expect that Justice Anthony Kennedy will be the swing vote in the decision.  According to CNN correspondent Wolf Blitzer, if the court rules the bill or even part of the bill unconstitutional, it could be deemed a favoring win for Republican candidate Mitt Romney For more breaking news on the landmark legislation, check out CNN’s coverage and follow me on twitter @BeeRay2 for the latest updates.

Overweight? There's A Pill For That!

             Jenny Craig, Weight  Watchers, and now an over-the-counter pill; Wonder what these three have in common? They all exist as cures for weight loss. On June 2, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, Belviq, or lorcaserin hydrochloride, which should treat chronic weight gain.  

            The FDA will target overweight and obese adults who have weight-induced  medical problems. Scientists warns that the users should pair the drug with a low caloric diet and to expect modest results. For more information on the weight loss pill check out CNN’s interview with Dr. Melina Jampolis, diet and fitness expert.

Housing Market Shows Signs of Improvement

   After the deepest and longest slide in the housing market since the Great Depression, experts say claim that the housing market is improving. Since the crash in 2007, consumers have endured seductive whispers and promises of false and almost stagnant recovery.
   Analysts state that the although the recovery will move a glacial pace, the economy is still improving. In April, prices of existing homes rose for the first time in 2012Experts do not recommend that consumers go purchases lavish cars in the next 24 hours, but say that market  has returned to a healthy level. While advising frugality among buyers, real estate professionals suggest that consumers can look forward to economical improvement.

Fast and Furious becomes Death and Destruction

No, it’s not the action flick starring the Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson; While the two subjects may share the same name, the Fast and Furious Operation Scandal carries  deeper consequences than a few wrecked cars. Recently the topic of news reports across the country, the Fast and Furious Operation (FFO) refers to a governmental program ran by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The ATF allowed the trafficking of firearms through Mexico in hopes to track the movements of both the traffickers and cartels. Recently the topic of news reports across the country, officials traced FFO guns to the deaths of numerous Mexican citizens and U.S. federal agent Brian Terry. Many officials have likened the scandal to Watergate, demanding the President’s explanation. 

Constitutionality Concerns Cloak the Country

Dividing the country like the tip of a blade, mandated healthcare, affectionately referred to as Obamacare, may be lawfully denied or accepted as early as tomorrow. At the heart of the healthcare bill battle, lies the issue of constitutionality. Each side of the political spectrum outlines legislation’s merits and flaws. The question that the issue raises to the people remains “Can the government mandate its people to purchase healthcare, or anything else?” Do you support or oppose Obamacare? Why? Still a little unsure of the exact details of the healthcare plan? Check out AP's video for more details.

Electrifying Essayist Passes at 71

Whitney Houston, Rodney King, and now Nora Ephron. The year 2012 marks a time period when the global community lost several prominent figures. Essayist, screenwriter, and director Nora Ephron passed away June 26, 2012 from leukemia-induced pneumonia. Ephron died at the age of 71.  

Ephron helped to produce numerous popular works such as Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and Julie & Julia.  Reflecting on her life’s lessons, Ephron wrote in her collection of essays, “I Feel Bad About My Neck,” Why do people write books that say it’s better to be older than to be younger? It’s not better. Even if you have all your marbles, you’re constantly reaching for the name of the person you met the day before yesterday.” For more info on Ephron’s life and death, check out the NYT's coverage.

Democracy Brings End to Thousand-Year Tradition

Remember that seemingly trivial word written across numerous textbooks’ front covers and presidential biography jackets? Usually preceded in textbook chapters with phrases like “fourscore and seven years ago”, the term democracy appears in numerous American history textbooks and graces the walls of several American government classes. As ubiquitous as this term appears, many people fail to understand and appreciate the magnitude of democracy’s power.

A country that has suffered months of unrest, Egypt has finally finished it presidential election.  Like a PC user finally obtaining a MacBook, the people of Egypt can say that they have officially joined the majority. Celebrating with a stream of fireworks and chanting, the people of Egypt celebrated its first democratic president in literally thousands of years.  Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi won 52% of the vote. As a newly elected leader, Morsi promises to represent every Egyptian citizen. For more information about Morsi’s goals, check out CNN’s election coverage.

Education on Economy Eludes Citizens

Unfortunately, the economy currently fails to meet several citizens' standards of approval. A smaller monetary exchange between employer and employee results in less mother-daughter trips to the nail salon, a cutback on the two-a-day Venti Carmel Macchiato™ with an espresso shot and mocha drizzle habit, and even cease on weekly family dinners at Carraba’s. Despite the media’s attempts to educate society of the implications, numerous citizens still do not understand the correlation of big business’s failure to the average Joe’s pay cut.

            On June 21, 2012 Moody Investors Service, the organization responsible for the approval and denial of a bank’s reputation and credibility, downgraded 15 of the world’s biggest banks including American companies Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup. While the downgrade will not affect citizens’ everyday transactions, it will change the way banks conduct business. The downgrade will affect the banks’ borrowing ability. Financial analysts state that the downgrade will not affect consumers’ transactions, so citizens do not need to panic. For more education, check out AP's video on how the economy affects citizens.

Education Becomes a social burden?

On June 13, 2012, The New York Times published an opinion piece by Luigi Zingales titled “College Graduates as Collateral.” In the opinion, Zingales notes America’s disdain for “predatory loans by mortgage brokers,” and hypocritical praise of student loans. Claiming both loans to be equally economically damaging, he pleads, to avoid another economic bust, the government should cease and desist all its higher education subsidies.

He instead offers that private companies should invest in students’ tuition. Investors would receive a portion of graduates’ future income and the IRS would help enforce debt collections, relieving the monetary burden. Acknowledging some clearly anticipated opposition, he writes, “This is not a modern form of indentured servitude.” While he Zingales makes a valid point, we do need to address the rapid increase in student debt, there remains a buzz of confusion among student communities.

Are we not repeating the same cycle; just adding a individualized face to the debt? Zingales solution seems to only personalize debt packages instead. A debt is a debt, no matter the collector.  Having the IRS play the role of bully coming to take our lunch money only exacerbates the problem.  Do you think that Zingales solution brings more positive than negative? Should the government implement his proposal?